From the Wall Street Journal, some tips on how to do it correctly: Once you’ve made the decision to fire, arrange to meet with the employee in person, in either a conference room or another private setting. Explain briefly why you’re unsatisfied with his or her performance, and refer to the documented unacceptable behavior. Allow [...]
Face it: You pretty much can’t have a serious business these days without having a website. I know that when I deal with new people, I always check their website (either one in the email/signature or backtracking the domain in the email); I expect just about everyone else to do the same. So, here are [...]
I can’t stand URL shorteners. They break the way I use the internet. Most damningly, they break my usual defense against both phishing attacks and unwanted spam (as if there’s another kind). Yet, I use one, largely because I have to do so. After the jump will be some expanded thoughts on URL shorteners, how [...]
As a follow-up to a prior post, Michael “Monty” Widenius has gone on the record stating that Oracle should get rid of MySQL: Michael ‘Monty’ Widenius, the creator of open source database MySQL and founder of the namesake company later acquired by Sun, today suggested Oracle should resolve antitrust concerns over its US$7.4 billion acquisition [...]
Today, I found two links which got me thinking about software patents. First up, RedHat has filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court basically asking for all software patents to be ended. On the other side is Gene Quinn who is a devout defender of software patents. Red Hat’s position is: “Software patents form [...]
According to Uncle Larry, Oracle has no intention of spinning off MySQL — even if “requested” to do so by EU officials. Undaunted by European Union concerns over Oracle’s proposed ownership of the open source MySQL database, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison insisted Monday that he would not spin off MySQL to get EU approval of [...]
Jason Kottke has an article about the iPhone that really bears further thought and analysis. Titled Your Company; There’s An App For That, it talks about ways in which smart phones in general — and Apple in the particular — are in direct competition with lots of companies that might not quite know it’s coming: [...]
I’ve heard of employers “requesting” to view a prospective employee’s Facebook account for vetting before hiring, but I don’t care much for the idea. If you want to volunteer your FB page, that’s very different from (essentially) demanding it as a condition of employment. Marylene has an article complete with survey on the subject. In [...]
Culture View more presentations from reed2001. If they walk the walk they’re talking in this slideshow, I’d work there…
From Guy, 10 good things to think about long and hard before taking the plunge… How much money do you have in the bank? What is your net outflow per month? What is the post-money valuation of your last round? What can you do that your competitors cannot? What can your competitors do that you [...]
As some of you may know, I have played music for about 22 years now. Inevitably, the act of naming a band was one of the hardest and most contentious things about the whole endeavor. I know more than a few bands that broke up because the founders couldn’t agree on a name. Even the [...]
By no means complete, a decent place to start. Know what success is. If you don’t know what success is (for you), how can you possibly create it? Success is different things for different people and one person’s success (a pregnancy for example) might be another person’s catastrophe. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Some people will [...]
Two articles with good tips. One that’s basically cheerleading, essentially saying “even though the economy’s in the toilet, you can still start a successful business if you want” and the second which has some more down to earth suggestions on how to limit your exposure, should you make the leap.
Something that occurs to me from time to time — particularly as I’m working on Idea Factory posts…
One of the companies for which I do work is currently doing some navel-gazing about their internal corporate culture. It started as a small, 5-10 person services shop and has grown into a 200 or so employee Beltway bandit with a good growth pattern. However, somewhere along the way, things have changed. Part of it [...]
From Harvard’s Business blog, some things to keep in mind: Practice, practice, practice. Very few people have the oratorical power to make compelling 15-second speech about their entire professional lives on demand and under pressure. Practice your speech 100 times — literally. Know it, get comfortable with it, be able to tilt it effectively for [...]
Also known as Big Company Syndrome. Some of the symptoms: “I don’t know how to do that.” “I smell disaster.” “I’m OK with how things are.” “Others get more than me out of this.” “Here we go again.” “I think this will make things worse.” “We’re already on another track.” “Timing isn’t quite right.” “I’m [...]
When you look around on the web, there are lots of cool stuff, toys and programs — and most of them are free. On the one hand, in a status economy, free is good. However, the local grocery store doesn’t care how much status I have, only that I can produce actual cash. So, how [...]
Book a meeting with me